Liturgy Alive 2nd Sunday of Easter

We are gathered in the name of Jesus,
the First and the Last,
the Living One who lives for ever,
our Lord and our God.
May his peace and joy be always with you.R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. The Risen Lord Present among His People

Why do we gather every Sunday to celebrate the eucharist of the Lord? For the same reason that the first Christians changed their day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday. For Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. It became "the Lord's day," the day on which they began to celebrate that Christ is risen and alive in the community of his faithful, as he is present among us now. He is real and alive among us, he is our companion on the road of life and we recognize him in the community of the Church. May the Lord Jesus give us faith to sense his presence.

B. See, I Am Alive

We accept in faith, perhaps with difficulty and hesitation, that Jesus is alive among his people today. Yes, he lives in his communities and he is right here among us. Yet like the apostles we too would like very much to see the Lord, to become more aware and more convinced that he is here, alive, standing by our side, moving us forward by his Holy Spirit. But we don't see him except with eyes of faith. That is what real, deep faith is all about: not seeing and yet believing. We recognize Jesus as our Lord and God and with him we thank our Father.

C. Peace Be with You

When are you at peace in life? I hope it is not when nobody disturbs but when you are living in the right relationship with God and yourself and with your neighbor. It is not always a peace easy to find. The key to all real peace is the peace Jesus offers us; he states this even three times today: It is the peace of forgiveness, the peace of his nearness, the peace of your faith. Then all the rest will follow. Let us ask our Lord here in this eucharist for that peace that no one can take away from us.

Penitential Act

First of all, let us ask the Lord
to give us the peace of his forgiveness.(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you offer to all humanity
the peace of reconciliation with God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you want us to be reconciled
with all our brothers and sisters:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you want us to find
genuine peace with ourselves:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Open us to the fullness of life, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Bring us to the joys of everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that our faith in the risen Lord
may be the moving force of our lives(PAUSE)
God of life and our loving Father,
our eyes have not seen your Son Jesus Christ
and our fingers have not touched the scars of his wounds,
yet we have come together here in his name.
Make our faith in him deep and strong and lasting,
that the Spirit of Jesus may breathe new life in us
and make us look with new eyes
at our world and at people,
so that we can bring them
the peace of the love and the justice of Jesus.
Let people see and taste in us
that Jesus is alive as our risen Lord,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

General Intercessions

A. The Risen Lord Present among His PeopleB. See, I Am Alive

Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for a living faith not merely in his truths but in his person and at his presence among us, and let us say: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For our shepherds in the faith, that they may place the powers of healing, pardon and peace, entrusted to them by Jesus, in the service of the people of God and of all who seek the truth, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For all those whose faith is tested in darkness and in doubt, that they may encounter the living Lord in their everyday work, in the events of life and in the love and trust of their neighbor, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For the sick and the persecuted and for all who are tried in life, that they may keep trusting in a Lord who heals and gives life, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For those who work for peace and justice in the world and in our country, that the Lord may give them courage and that he may bless their efforts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For this and all Christian communities, that our faith in Jesus may lead us to have faith in each other's goodness and to be united in love, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, live among us and make us sensitive to your presence in our lives. And let our integrity and love be the sign to all that you are with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

C. Peace Be with You
"Peace be with you" is Jesus' wish to his disciples. Let us ask him to bring his peace to his Church and to people everywhere. Let us say: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to your Church. In all its variety, let it be united in one faith and love, and let it be an agent of reconciliation and peace among all countries and people, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all those in search of truth, goodness and compassion, that they may discover these in you through the people who have found you and love you, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all nations. Dispose divided and warring factions to dialogue and to look for ways to settle conflicts in a spirit of justice and cooperation, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all who suffer. Give them a faith that is strong enough to rise above their fears and pains; and make us stand by their side as sympathetic friends, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to our communities. Make us aware of your presence among us, that our faith and love may keep growing and that we may share what we have and are, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
Risen Lord, let your joy and your peace be ours all the days you give us. Be with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
your Son came among his disciples
and brought them peace.
In these signs of bread and wine
let him come among us,
his disciples today,
to bring us the peace of his presence
and to strengthen our faith.
For he is our Lord and our God
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

We cannot see the Lord with our eyes nor can we touch him with our hands. But we know that he is alive and we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Invitation to the Lord's Prayer

With Jesus present among us
we pray his prayer of trust to the Father: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Reassure us in our trials
and help us to go without fear
the way of the victorious cross,
until you take us up in your eternal light
on the day of the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, our risen Lord,
whom we acclaim as our Lord and our God.
Happy are we that he comes to us
and stays with us. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we thank you for Jesus, your risen Son.
He who loves us is alive.
Give us eyes of faith to see
that all that we are and do
has a meaning and a purpose,
and that your Son is with us and guides us
through our darkness and hesitations
to the fullness of love and joy.
Let him stay with us
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

If only we had a deep faith
in the presence of the Lord among us, his people!
How different our relationships would be
with God, with one another,
even with ourselves.
Then we would really have the peace
of which Jesus insistently speaks in today's gospel.
Let this faith be alive in our community,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in the peace of Christ
and let the people around you share in it. Alleluia.R/ Thanks be to God. Alleluia.